Process of destructively distilling bitumen



July 26, 1932. EGLQFF 1,868,737

PROCESS 0F DESTRUCTIVELY DISTILLING BITUMEN Original Filed Dec. 50, 19256 I Wr mess: flab;

Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED- STATES PATENTOFFICE GUSTAV EGLOFF, orCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T UnivmsAL on. r aonm's'rs COMPANY, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or sou'rn DAKOTA rnoonss orDESTRUCTIVELY'DISTILLINGBITUMEN' I Application filed December 3o, 1925,Serial No. 78,296. Renewed April 24, 1928.

.This invention refers to a process of destructively' distillingbitumen, and refers more particularly to such materials as bituminous oranthracite coal, natural asphalt,

shales or the like.-

The object of the invention is to first dissolve out of the bituminousmaterial as much as feasible of its hydrocarbon constituents, and thensubject such constituents to crackm ing conditions of temperature andpressure.

In order to moreclearly understand the present invention,'I have shownthe accompanying drawing, which is asomewhat diagrammatic sideelevational view, partly in vertical section, and with parts brokenaway. Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a furnace in whichis-mounted the coil 2. To the'inlet side of-the coil 2 is connected 9.feed line 3 leading to feed pump 4 connected to any suitable source ofraw oil supply. The

delivery side ofthe-coil is connected to transfer line 5 having throttlevalve 6 to .a chamber 7 which may in a sense he called a dissolvingchamber, which chamber 7 may be mounted in a suitable furnace 8 providedwith manholes 9 and 10, in which may be inserted the coal or otherbituminous material. The upper end of the chamber 7 is connected bydelivery line 11 having throttle valve 12 to a reaction chamber 13,which reaction chamber 13, may if desired, be mounted in a suitablefurnace 14, whereby it may be externally heated. The chamber 13 isprovided with suitable manholes 15 and 16, liquid drawofi pipes 17controlled by suitable throttle valves 18, and also at its upper endwith a vapor outlet pipe 19 having throttle valve 20, which pipe leadsto a dephlegmator 21. The upper part of the dephlegmator is connected byvapor outlet pipe 22 having throttle valve 23 to water condenser 24, andthence to pipe 25 having throttle valve 26, to the top of receiver 27.This receiver 27 is provided with liquid drawoif pipe 28 having throttlevalve 29, gas outlet pipe 30 having throttle valve 31.

The lower end of the dephlegmator is provided with a drawoif pipe 33 forthe reflux condensate, which pipe has throttle valve 34, and is providedwith' the branch having throttle valve 36, and 37 having throttle valve38. ,The'branch 37 leads to storage or elsewhere,- while the branch 35is connected to-thehot oil pump 39 provided with by-pass 40 and thevalves 41, 42 and 43 as shown.

If desired, the fresh charging stock instead of being directed fromthe-pump 4 to the feed line 3- may be-in' whole ,or in part,

diverted through. the line fl havingthrottlevalve 45, the :upp'er.v part.of which "line 44:

delivers the oil into the dephlegmator 21 as shown. I

The process, may be earned out as follows:

The chambers .7 and 13 may be charged with bituminous material, as forexample, bituminous coal or the .othermaterials heretofore referred to,and if desired, may be heated to a temperature of say 900 F., more orless. The oil is fed through the coil either directly, or in-whole or inpart through the dephlegmator in the manner heretofore described, andmay be heated 'to a temperature of say-850 F., more or less, andsubjected to a pressure of say 800 pounds. The oil in this highly heatedcondition, passesto the dissolving chamber 7 where the oil comes lntointimate contact with the hydrocarbonaceous constituents of the bitumen,and this petroleum oil preferably in a more or less liquid condition,together with the dissolved out bituminous .material and such part ofthe bituminous material as may be distilled out in the form of vapors,passes through the pipe 11 to the reaction chamber 13. Here by suitablycontrolling the valve 12, the pressure may be reduced to say 200 pounds,and such pressure maintained through the balance of the system to andincluding. the receiver.

The oil and vapors in the reaction chamber 13 may be maintained at atemperature of say 850 to 900 F., where further destructive distillationof the petroleum oil and the hydrocarbonaceous materials from thebitumen takes place. The vapors generated in the chamber 13 pass outinto the dephlegmator where the insufficiently cracked portions thereofare condensed, and either drawn out where they may be separatelycracked, or

:myself 'to those temperatures-and otherwise collected, or they may bereturned through the line 35 back to the coil 2 for further cracking.

The pressure distillate collected in the receiver will be a mixture ofproducts from the cracked petroleum oil, and fromthe crackedcarbonaceous constituents" distilled and cracked out of the bituminousmaterials, .Thecracked distillate colle ted inthe receiver willcontainmore or less nitrogen and phenolic compounds obtained'from thedehydrocarbonastructive distillation ofsuch ceous constituents of thebitumen.

The temperatures and pressurescited, are

illustrative merely, and I do not wish to limit pressure,

as they mayvary-widely. l

I claim as-iny invention i 1. A process for distilling bitumen,consisting in subjecting'vpetroleum oil to cracking conditions oftemperature and pressure, passing the oil so trea'ted ltoia chambercontaining bituminous -=material, causing the heated oil to come intointimate contact with such bituminous material so as to-dissolve out land distill ofi'f hydrocarbonaceous= constituents ofsai'dzbituminousmaterial, passing the petroleum and the material so dissolved and Idistilledout, a reactionachamber:wherethe mixture is subjected tocracking =conditions,

removing the vapors generated rtherefrom, and condensing and collectingthem, and maintaining asu'peratmosphericpressure on the material in thefirst mentioned chamber, and a lower pressureon the mixture of oil andhydrocarbonaceous constituents in said reaction-chamber.

2. A'process for producing acracked low boilingipoint distillate fromhydrocarbon liquids and solids, comprising maintaining 'a lnass ofhydrocarbon solids in an enlargedzoneundercrackingconditionsoftemperature and pressure,separatelyheatinghydrocarbon liquids to acracking temperature under asuperatmospheric pressure and introducing such heated hydrocarbonliquids, while at a cracking temperature, to said mass of hydrocarbonsolids, to dissolve substantial quantities of the carbonaceousconstituents therefrom, passing the liquid hydrocarbon oil and thecarbonaceous constituents dissolved from ture and pressure, separatelyheating hydrocarbon liquids to a cracking temperature under asuperatmospheric pressure and introducing such heated hydrocarbonliquids, while at a cracking temperature, to said mass ofhydrocarbonsolids, to dissolve substantial quantities of thecarbonaceous constituents therefrom, passing the liquid hydrocarbon oiland the carbonaceous constituents dissolved from such hydrocarbon solidsin said enlarged zone, while in a 'commingled state, ,toa zonemaintained under alower pressure than the pressureinaintained in saidenlarged zone, wherein substantial vaporization of the hydrocarbon 011and carbonaceous --constituents is effected, subjecting such va- --porsto reflux condensation, to condense therefrom those fractions having 'aboiling point higher "than the boiling point of the desired product,uniting thereflux conden-' sate separated "from the vapors -with thehydrocarbon liquids bein'g separately subjected to -cracking conditionsof temperature and pressure, to supply a substantial portio'n of suchhydrocarbonzliq id 4. A Process for-producingcracked low -boilingdistil-late from hydrocarbon liquids and solids comprisingmaintaining amass of hydrocarbon solids in an -enlarged zone under crackingconditions of "temperature and pressure," heating hydrocarbon liquids to-a cracking temperature"extraneous 'of-said =enlarged zone, andintroducing the heated hydrocarbon liquids while at a-crackingtemperature into the mass-of hydrocarbon solids in said enlarged zone:Whereby hydrocarbons are removed from saidsolids, passing prodmovedfrom said solids-from said enlarged ucts -of reaction includinghydrocarbons rezone through a'zone of'reaction maintained under crackingconditions of temperature 'and pressure whereby conversion of saidproduct is effected, and removing vapors from said zone of reaction andinrecovering therefrom those constituents having the desired boilingpoint. 5. A process of producing low boilingdis- *tillates fromhydrocarbon oils and solids which comprises raising the hydrocarbon oilto cracking temperature,-bringing the heated hydrocarbon oilconstituents while at cracksolids by said heated hydrocarbon oil coningtemperature into direct contact with said solids under conditionspermitting dissolution of hydrocarbon constituents from said stituents,passing the resultant mixture of 'into a reaction zone maintained undercrack- 'ing conditions of temperature and pressure hydrocarbon oilconstituents and hydrocarbon constituents removed from said solids andwherein conversion of saidmixture is effected, removing vapors from saidzone and subjecting the same to condensation.

6. A process for treating hydrocarbon oil and solid bituminous materialwhich comrises introducing solid material to an en- .arged zone,separately heating the oil to cracking temperature undersuperatmospheric pressure, then discharging the thus heated oil while atcracking temperature into intimate contact with the solid material insaid enlarged zone, maintaining the contents of said enlarged zone atcrackin temperature and under superatmospheric pressure wherebyhydrocarbons are separated from the solid material by means of theheated oil, removing said separated hydrocarbons from the enlarged zonein admixture with the heated oil constituents and introducing themixture to a second zone, maintaining said second zone at crackingtemperature and effecting cracking of the mixture therein, and removingthe cracked mixture from said second zone and recovering the same as theproduct of the process.

7. A process as defined in claim 6 further characterized in that themixture removed from said enlarged zone contains liquid hydrocarbons andin that said second zone is maintained under a sufficiently lowerpressure than said enlarged zone to effect substanlt)ial vaporization ofsuch liquid hydrocarons.

8. A process for treating hydrocarbon liquid and solid bituminousmaterial which comprises introducing the solid material to an enlargedzone, separately heating the liquid to cracking temperature under asuperatmospheric pressure adequate to retain a substantial portionthereof in liquid phase, then discharging the thus heated liquid, whileat cracking temperature and while a substantial portion thereof is stillin liquid condition, into intimate contact with the solid material insaid enlarged zone, maintaining said enlarged zone under conditions oftemperature and superatmos-pheric pressure adequate to cause the heatedliquid to dissolve hydrocarbon constituents out of the solid material,removing the resultant solution from said enlarged zone and introducingthe same to a second zone maintained under a sufliciently lower pressurethan said enlarged zone to effect substantial vaporization of thesolution therein, and removing and condensing the vapors from saidsecond zone.

9. A process for treating hydrocarbon liquid and solid bituminousmaterial which comrises introducing the solid material to an enargedzone separately heating the liquid to cracking temperature under asuperatmospheric pressure adequate to retain a substantial portionthereof in liquid phase, then discharging the thus heated liquid, whileat cracking temperature and while a substantial portion thereof is stillin liquid condition, into intimate contact with the solid material insaid enlarged zone, maintaining said enlarged zone under conditions oftemperature and superatmospheric pressure adequate to GUSTAV EGLOFF.

